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Im Allergic To My Cat!

Having a cat allergy came as something of a surprise to me.
Growing up, I had many pets - cats, dogs and birds. My family
were animal lovers and pets abounded, so being in contact with
animals was a daily occurance. No one ever seemed to suffer from
a cat allergy or any kind of animal allergy for that matter.

After my teens and my last pet had died, I wasn't in a
position to take on another pet for many years. Then, eleven
years ago, a friend of a cousin was looking for a home for their
last remaining kitten. And so it was that Kira came into my life.
This was a cat with attitude (and still is!) and we bonded pretty
much immediately. While she was still a kitten, I'd put her in
the kitchen overnight with a little cat bed to sleep in and the
litter box close by.

As she grew older, I started letting her sleep in the bedroom.
It's surprising how relaxing a cat's purring can be in wee small
hours.

A little over a year later, when down with the vet getting
some supplies, I heard that there was a kitten that needed a home
or it would have to be put to sleep. And so, Fritz came home with
me that day.

Unfortuately, Kira was less than impressed with this
interloper and I had to keep the two separated for several days
before an uneasy truce ensued.

They're an odd pair - Kira has attitude, Fritz is much more
companionable; what you'd call a "gentle soul". She's still the
Queen around the house and occasionally puts Fritz in his place
with a right-hook to the face when she feels the need to assert
her authority.

As Fritz matured, he also was allowed into the bedroom. Both
he and Kira would sleep there during the day and night, as was
their want.

We all know that cats are the greatest
creature-comfort-seeking animals on the planet and a comfy place
to catnap is one of their major concerns. But the place your cat
chooses to snooze may not be your first choice. While I didn't
mind the cats sleeping on the bed, I did take exception to
Fritz's tendency to charge in from the garden and sleep in a
basket of warm, freshly dried laundry straight from the
dryer.

The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine recently
conducted a poll of pet-owners on the sleeping habits of their
pets and found that 60% of them sleep in bed with one of the
family. Where cats are concerned, there are two potential
problems here: one is that, somehow, they manage to take up 90%
of the bed and the other has to do with allergies.

I found I had a mild cat allergy when I started producing
weird wheezing noises any time I was doing something strenuous.
Coughing eased it for a few minutes but it would always return. I
figured I'd developed a mild form of asthma, probably due to bad
air quality and pollution, so I went to the doctor to have it
checked out. After listening to my lungs he asked me one
question: "Do you have a cat?"

Well, yes, I did. Two in fact.

"You're allergic to your cats", he intoned.

Then he asked if the cats slept in the bedroom. Of course they
did.

"There's your real problem", he said. "What you're allergic to
is the dander produced by your cats. When a cat sleeps on your
bed, the dander ends up in the sheets and the duvet and you
breathe it in deeply at night when you're asleep. Not good.
That's what causes your wheeziness. Stop the cats sleeping in
your bedroom for two or three weeks and see if that eases your
symptoms. If not, you'll probably need to use an inhaler for the
rest of your life."

Ok, that last sentence kinda hit me between the eyes. Much as
I love my two furballs, I didn't want to suffer a long-lasting
health problem that could possibly be avoided.

So why is dander such a problem? It's the layer of dead skin
that's rich in animal protein, which is continuously shed by
animals. Sebaceous (oil producing) glands in the skin also
produce these protein allergens. Male cats have, on average,
greater amounts of sebaceous secretions and therefore are more
allergenic than female or neutered male cats. This is a result of
testosterone hormone effects on sebaceous glands.

So, with that information and the prospect of an enduring
health problem, I banned my cats from the bedroom, threw out the
duvet (on the advice of the doctor), bought a new one and changed
everything on the bed (including getting new pillows). I didn't
get too much sleep the first few nights with the cats meowing and
scratching on the door to get in but they got used to the idea,
finally. After three weeks in a cat free bedroom, my wheeziness
had all but disappeared. The cats haven't been allowed back in
since.

Should you find yourself with a similar cat allergy problem,
banning the cat from your bedroom is one possible course of
action. Alternatively, you can get your cat his own cat bed and
put that somewhere out of harm's way (yours and the cat's).

Since finding out I was mildly allergic to my cats, I've
spoken to other cat owners about it and quite a number also
suffer some mild form of allergic reaction - sneezing, wheezing,
watering eyes, blocked sinuses and so on. Owners appear to become
at least somewhat immune to their own cats insofar as the
symptoms are not as pronounced as they become when they're around
other people's cats.

But, having said that, none of us would ever part with our
feline companions and would exhort others to adopt a cat as a
pet, as the benefits far outweigh any minor inconveniences.

Animal dander allergy can significantly contribute to
respiratory problems involving the sinuses, nasal passages, and
eyes, as well as causing upper respiratory tract problems that
can result in asthma (as in my case). These problems can
significantly diminish your quality of life despite various
medical treatments. For some people, it can be even more serious,
leading to recurrent acute asthmatic attacks that can be life
threatening, requiring emergency room visits and
hospitalizations. The good news is that most people who are
allergic to their pets can keep their symptoms under control if
they know the facts.

Gary Nugent has been a life-long animal lover, especially of
cats and is the webmaster of http://www.just-pet-cats.com -
Make the best choices to keep your cat healthy, happy and
long-lived. Information about cats in general, health issues that
can affect them, some of their weird and wonderful behavior
patterns, their history, and how to choose various products,
supplies and toys for your feline furball. And, not to forget
about you...there are a few things on the site to keep cat owners
amused as well.

Dorian-Orphaned Pets Arrive In Hudson Valley - Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow, NY - Many of the animals will be available for adoption this Sunday.

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